** Shares of investment bank Jefferies Financial Group JEF.N rise 2.66% to $63.48 in afternoon session

** Oppenheimer raised JEF PT to $97 from $81, citing recovering deal activity and expectation of 25%-plus EPS growth in 2027

** New PT represents 56.8% upside to its last close

** JEF is "underfollowed and undervalued" bank, which has delivered long‑term share gains without added balance‑sheet risk, Oppenheimer says

** As JEF divests businesses acquired in its 2013 merger with Leucadia, it will likely realize gains that will fund share buybacks, brokerage says

** 5 of 6 brokerages rate the stock "buy" or higher, 1 "hold"; median PT is $76 — data compiled by LSEG

** As of last close, JEF down 21.1% YTD

(Reporting by Pragyan Kalita in Bengaluru)

((Pragyan.Kalita@thomsonreuters.com))